Thursday, July 19, 2012

SHIVA REA: Fluid Power, Vinyasa Flow Yoga

This is a great DVD for Intermediate/Advanced
level participants, however beginners could probably simplify things and work
up to the more difficult variations and poses. It has great cinematography and
beautiful music that helps you get through each sequence. After warming up to
Shiva Rea's instruction style and the movements themselves I really enjoy these
sequences for either warming up my body in the morning, or relaxing in the
evening before bed.

If you've never done anything like this before
you might be self-conscious because some of the movements may be unfamiliar to
your body. You may want to find a room where you can completely release and not
let any tension get in the way of enjoying these movements. You probably want a
clear space of about 8'x8' for almost everything on this DVD because she uses
directions and movements that require a little bit of space. As you become more
familiar with the sequences then you can perform all of them more freely and
enjoy them.

Below, I’ve listed a description of each sequence
on the DVD. My favorites were Backbend
Flow, Hip Opening Flow, and Beginning Flow. I'm also anxious to try
out the "Yoga Matrix" that supposedly allows you to customize your
routine!

Vinyasa Flow Yoga- From what I can gather it is the
connection of your breath to your movement. Shiva Rea talks about how we are made up of water and moving with the fluids in our bodies and joints is good for us.

Shiva Rea-From what I can tell she is a
master of Vinyasa Flow Yoga and is highly respected as such.

Disc 1:

Yoga Matrix-You can design your own yoga
routine using the sections provided.

Backbend flow-108 min. Begins with a chanting/meditation sequence. You can skip this if you like. Then it
moves into sequences that are probably my favorite
sequences on the DVD! There are lots of twisting movements and stretches that
feel fabulous! She goes through progressions that build on each other, and it
is done in a way that makes sense to the viewer. Those of you who enjoy Power Yoga would like some of these sequences. The intermediate back-bending sequences are more difficult, but feel oh-so-good!

Hip opening flow-77 min. Begins with the
same standing movement meditation that Beginning Flow uses...the one that makes
you want to belly-dance :). LOL! You then move into sequences that flow through positions and you learn some new transitions. Shiva Rea checks in with pelvic alignment every so often, which is so good
for protecting your lower back from injury! This
is also a routine for power yoga lovers. A handstand sequence which requires a wall and a backbend sequence has some great bridge pose variations! Two meditation sequences close the routine one sitting the other is the very same deep relaxation corpse
pose meditation as Backbend Flow and almost every other pre-set routine.

Creative flow-63 min. I haven't done this
yet, but I assume that it involves a large amount of structured improvisation.

Beginning flow-43 min. Begins with
standing movement meditation. My inner belly-dancer tells me that anyone that
likes wrist twirling and hip movements would love this
meditation...including myself. :) You then move into a movement sequence that
uses cat/cow, down-dog, plank and up-dog; flowing through each of these
positions and learning some new transitions. The next sequence is a series of
hip opening poses, centered around Pigeon pose that is the same section from
Lunar flow. This segment ends with a deep relaxation sequence.

Lunar flow for flexibility- 41 min. Begins
with meditation and some standing improvisation then moves into some floor
poses including Pigeon pose variations. There’s some small improvisation on the
floor and which ends with meditation in corpse pose. It felt fantastic to have
the fluidity while in the poses in order to get a more dynamic stretch and work
my muscles into the poses. The great thing about Shiva Rea is that she gives
you a pose and you can either stay there or do the variation with her. This is
great for adapting it to any level!

Meditation-26 min. This sequence sees the
viewer using sound, breath and movement for meditation. This consists of
chanting in a song-like manner while you are completing fluid movements and
moving with the breath. The second sequence is also seated and feels delicious
on the spine. The third sequence is standing meditation where Shiva Rea talks
you through body systems and imagery. The last sequence is the same ending
meditation as Lunar Flow and Beginning Flow.

Disc 2-

I haven't looked at yet but it is supposed to
have some special features. :)

If you are interested in more Shiva Rea you can
take a look at her website: